


Replacing Your Step-Family

by Londonvetgirl25



Category: Cinderella (Fairy Tale), Warriors - Erin Hunter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:02:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27943466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Londonvetgirl25/pseuds/Londonvetgirl25
Summary: You may not be able to choose your original family, but sometimes, life can lead to new family in the most unexpected of ways. What would you do to protect them? How far would you go and what would you sacrifice for them? For one girl, there is no limit. Rated T for some harsh language. Cover image courtesy of Cranberry the Cat on Deviantart. Cross-posted from Fanfiction.net
Kudos: 2





	1. Prologue

Prologue

Our story began, unlike most fairy tales, in a dark place. Deep in a dark forest, dark cats waited around a dark pool with a dark purpose. Suddenly, the pool began to glow dimly. The two cats watched as a tall, imposing female two-leg followed by two she-kits entered a large house, casting a shadow over a young she-twoleg whose smile faltered.

One of the cats smirked. "So, it begins." He growled, the light from the pool casting a scar crossing his muzzle into high relief.

"But Tigerstar, are you sure I have to-" his companion began to whine only to be cut off by a vicious snarl.

"Go, now!" The first cat commanded. Still grumbling to himself, the smaller cat touched his nose to the pool and vanished. Moments later, a dark-striped kitten with red eyes ran up to the tall human who cuddled him.

The first cat watched in satisfaction. "It has begun. The clans shall not survive without the nightingale."


	2. Messes and Reflection

Cindy POV

Ah, Sundays. Beautiful, quiet peaceful Sunday mornings-

_Smash, bang!_

""CINDERS!" Welp so much for that.

Dragging myself from bed while trying not to cry (damn who knew re-painting the fence could make you so sore), I quickly pull on some old jeans and a sweatshirt tie my dirty blonde hair back before making my way downstairs to see what the trouble is. Waiting for me are dumb and dumber, oh beg pardon, I meant Anastasia and Drisella.

"Why haven't you made breakfast yet?" Anastasia demands as I hurriedly grab a broom. "We thought we were going to have to make it" Drisella sneers. "So, this mess is fault for making us wait."

Rounding the corner, I find that they managed to smash a couple of plates and- _oh my God I am going to flay them_ \- my mother's old teapot. It still amazes me how quickly they could ruin Sundays.

Pulling my usual trick of taking a few calming breaths (along with envisioning a couple of rather violent fantasies involving certain people), I ignored their fading giggles as they went to their rooms and start pulling out eggs.

With peace at least temporarily restored, I couldn't help but reflect on my life thus far. Being Cindy Tremaine, only daughter of John and Elizabeth Tremaine was once a dream come true. A fantasy kingdom. A paradise that I cannot describe, mostly because as the years pass, it had become nothing more than a faded dream. Also, because if I did try it would sound quite cliché, less real, less solid. Something I had less of a hold on.

Most of the time, stories describe the end of kingdoms as one gigantic, earth-shattering event. Not my kingdom, no, it shattered in stages. First, my mother, my golden, singing, clumsy yet still always laughing mother. One day her laughing turned to coughing, then coughing turned to wheezing then to silence only broken by the sobbing of her husband and 11-year-old daughter.

The next phase had to do with my father. After two years of continued silence and reluctant continuation of life, he decided that, with Mom gone, I would need female guidance as I got older. Enter the witch. No, that's too nice for her, witches are cool. Enter the harpy, then. For such good taste in women, where in the _hell_ did he dredge this woman (I use the term loosely) and her demon spawn from?

Lucinda Moriarty and her two offspring officially became part of the Tremaine household two days after my 13th birthday. Five months of icy smiles and forced gestures later, my father left for business in London. Though he was supposed to return after 2 weeks, he came back just 5 days later. In a casket. An accident, they said. A wild driver didn't see the pedestrian sign. And just as quickly as his life was extinguished, so was the act of family that the gorgon had been putting on. Speaking of whom...

_Whap!_

Ouch. I swear she reads minds.

"Why are you so noisy?" Lucinda screeched, waving the wooden spoon she just smacked my cheek with. She finished off by going past me to look at the damage done earlier, shoving me so that I end up putting my hands on the hot stove to steady myself. One of these days, I swore.

Ignoring my involuntary cry, she made a noise of satisfaction. "Ah! Well at least I won't have to look at that ugly junk your _mother_ left, right _Cinders_?" She smirks, turning the word into a slur. Three months, I say to myself. Three months left. I hiss due to both pain (burns hurt ya know) and that stupid nickname. I came in once with dirt on my face after sweeping the floors and Anastasia yelled out "Cinderella!"

Creative as a doormat.

"Do clean up that trash once you finish breakfast, won't you _Cinders_." She sneered. "Yes ma'am." As she left, I couldn't help but think of my mom's last words.

**Be kind.**

_Smash!_

I whipped around to see that Lucinda's cat, Lucifer, pushed some more plates to the floor. If I didn't know any better, I'd swear the little bastard was also smirking. 

Be kind. Who knew kindness was like armor? Perhaps my mother did. Perhaps she had a glimpse of what she was leaving me to. Three months left, and my armor had served me well. Three months, they wwould all be rather surprised.

Once I finished breakfast, I made my way into the dining room with breakfast. I have to admire my own self-control in not punting Lucifer into the next century on the way. Who names their cat Lucifer anyway? Whatever his name was, he certainly seemed to have it out for me. Over the last few years, he gave me the same amount of trouble as Drisella and Anastasia combined! From breaking valuables to tearing my clothes, if he could do something to inconvenience me, he would. 

I snapped out of my musings by Lucinda dramatically throwing the papers she'd been looking at down on the table. "Why haven't I gotten that invite to the Realtor's Ball next month?" She moans. The girls also looked upset. "Mummy, we won't find any men if we don't go!" Anastasia wailed, causing me to wince. _Honey, with a voice like that, you are more likely to find a man by staying home_.

As my late father was a prominent figure in the real estate business, the family is always invited. Well, some of the family anyway. I'm fairly certain Lucinda told people I died too.

But I had to hide a smirk. The letter came last Tuesday and I couldn't help shoving it under my pillow. I usually tried to be kind, but I kept myself going with small, secret (yes somewhat pathetic) acts of defiance. Considering I just got smacked for a spoon for late breakfast and some plates, there are no words for what would happen if they found out about the letter. But seeing their stress made the risk totally worth it.

Oh well. I would have to give it to her tomorrow, so she wouldn't get suspicious.

Scooting out of the room as quickly as possible, I headed outside. We had a small barn where we kept a few chickens though I'm not really sure why to be honest. I quickly fed the chickens and as I turned to leave, I heard a low meow. Turning around, I see two more cats, one black and the other a patchwork of black and white and can't help but smile. Unlike the furry demon indoors, I liked these two. They've kept the place mouse-free since they showed up one night two months ago and may very well be the only two souls here who don't enjoy my misery. It was strangely soothing to see _someone_ around here have a pleasant life.

"Hey guys. Hope you are having a nice Sunday." I murmured. They gave brief purrs then trot off behind the hay bales. I had to wonder where they came from. Despite not being invited, I had no plans on telling Lucinda of their presence. She'd kick them out simply because she'd think I liked them.

Back inside, I stopped dead at the door to my room. Lucinda was in there with the letter in her hand and Lucifer was smugly sitting on my pillow. Both glared at me.

Damnit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, here is the first full chapter. When it comes to our story's Cinderella, I've tried to make her a little edgier internally. I was greatly inspired by another fanfic called "A Fortnight" by Phantomphaeton (you should totally check it out). To find out what she means by "three months", just keep reading!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Cinderella or Warriors. I just own the plot.


	3. The Nightingale

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Here is the next chapter of this fiction! I am on a role! For the sake of this fiction, the cats will be able to understand two-leg language unlike in the books. Why, because it fits the story and its fan fiction- I have supreme power here (chuckles evilly).
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Warriors or Cinderella. I only own this story line. Please leave reviews!

The morning sun dappled the woods around them through gathering clouds as the two cats trekked through the trees. One of them was an orange-colored cat, his green eyes sharp with worry. The other was smoky gray with an even darker stripe of gray traveling along his spine and tail and yellow eyes that were fixed on his friend.

"Firestar" he murmured. "Don't worry so much. We'll get to the moonpool and get answers. And I'm sure Brambleclaw has everything under control back at camp."

Firestar only nodded. For the past few nights, he had received strange images of a female two-leg in his dreams and Spottedleaf's voice which always told him the same thing.

_Find and protect the nightingale_

He had absolutely no idea what it meant. But with the clans having just settled in the new lake territories, he was taking no chances. So off they were to the mystical pool his daughter found to get more answers. Especially since Cinderpelt had gotten the same message but didn't understand it either.

Suddenly, the trees cleared, and the duo found themselves outside a large red two-leg den. Graystripe sniffed the air.

"Hey! Ravenpaw and Barley have been around here. This must be where they live now. Let's go see how they are."

As anxious as Firestar was, he couldn't say no to an opportunity like that.

"Alright" he mewed reluctantly. "But we shouldn't stay too long."

Although he had invited the pair to join Thunderclan permanently after the old barn had been destroyed along with the clan territory, they had refused, stating they were too used to living as loners.

As they skirted the fence, a familiar voice called out to them. "Firestar! Graystripe!" A black cat with a dash of white on his chest poked his head through a gap in the fence, his green eyes wide with excitement.

"Ravenpaw!" The trio were delighted at the reunion and couldn't stop purring. Ravenpaw led his old friends to the barn.

"How have you and Barley settled in?" asked Firestar.

"Can't complain." Ravenpaw responded cheerfully. "The two-legs leave us alone and there are plenty of mice to hunt. That's probably where Barley is now. But what about you, what are you doing here?"

"We're on our way to the moonpool." Graystripe mewed, plopping down on the straw next to Ravenpaw while Firestar settled more reluctantly.

"Moonpool?" Ravenpaw questioned, confused. "Yes, Leafpaw, now Leafpool, found it. It's basically this area's version of the moonstone in the old territory." Firestar answered, shifting uneasily.

Noticing this, Ravenpaw quickly offered, "I know you're probably in a hurry, but you have come a long way. Would you like to rest for a bit before carrying on?" Before he could refuse, the heavens opened up into a torrential downpour.

Firestar ruefully chuckled. "Doesn't look like we have much of a choice."

Before the trio could settle however, a familiar voice drifted around them.

 _Find the nightingale_. Spottedleaf's scent wreathed around all of them.

His gaze darting around, the flame-colored tom noticed his two friends doing the same, looking shaken. He realized that Starclan had never spoken aloud to them like this.

"S-Spottedleaf?" Graystripe croaked. Ravenpaw looked around wildly, trembling like he was training under Tigerstar again.

Before Firestar could react, another voice drifted towards them, this time from the two-leg den.

_"Oh, sing sweet nightingale, sing sweet nightingale, high above me…"_

Well, that may just be what his dreams had been talking about. "Friends" he mewed solemnly "we need to see what Starclan wants with this "nightingale" and that means" here he gave a shudder "getting wet. If we drown, it will be for a good cause." He was hoping his weak attempt at a joke might help settle them.

He was met with deadpan looks. "Firestar" Graystripe mewed slowly. "You're good at a lot of things but telling jokes isn't one of them. Stick with leading."

"Let's just get this over with." Ravenpaw mewed nervously. Firestar nudged him. "Oh, come on, this is just like when we were apprentices."

"That's what worries me." The black cat mewed dryly.

They set off towards the den, dashing to hide behind a wall as a blue monster zipped past them down the small Thunderpath and away from them. Following the voice, they hopped onto the fence, then the low roofline and made their way towards an open window where the voice emanated from.

Peering in, Firestar mewed "OK, who wants to go in first?" Behind him, Graystripe and Ravenpaw nodded to each other and in unison shoved Firestar, sending him in.

Managing to hold in a yowl of surprise, he was able to land quietly on the ground next to some two-leg furniture, a desk if he remembered correctly. He glared up at his sniggering companions. Traitors. Then he looked around the corner of the desk and gasped.

This was her! The one Starclan told him about, the nightingale! Frantically, he flicked his tail for Graystripe and Ravenpaw to join him. Gulping, they did so, and Graystripe choked.

"Is that her? The one Starclan told you about?" Nodding mutely, Firestar observed the female. He wasn't good at guessing their ages, but she seemed young though not quite a kit. More the age of an older "paw". Her head fur was the color of honey and she had silvery blue eyes.

She also seemed injured. While the rest of her skin was pale as snow, the skin around her eyes was blue and swollen. Red and blue marks also littered both her cheeks. She seemed to be doing something with the pelts two-legs wore, kneeling on the ground to manipulate them. At one point, she swiveled around, and he heard Ravenpaw choke back a gasp. Her white two-leg pelt was covered in red lines where blood seemed to be welling beneath.

Despite this, she continued to- what was the word? Oh yes, sing- sing quietly. Suddenly she stood, then winced and doubled over slightly, taking in short breaths.

The trio glanced at each other. What was going on here? But before anyone could make a move, the three saw someone they never thought, or hoped, to see again.

Darkstripe. He was standing in the doorway, eyes fixed on the two-leg.

"But how? I killed him." Graystripe growled in outrage, only to be shushed by the other two. The nightingale was talking to herself.

And Darkstripe was moving closer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffy! Don't worry, it won't be for long. See you in the next chapter!


	4. When Darkness Strikes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the next chapter! This may be a little confusing as the POV switches a lot between characters but I think it works? Let me know what you think with a review! I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Cinderella or Warriors.

Cindy POV

Well, Lucinda certainly hadn't been happy to find the invitation under my pillow. She was more than happy to show her displeasure using an old riding crop she found somewhere.

After ensuring "that I learned what happens to liars and sneaks", she and the girls headed to town for some dinner. Usually, I cook but the witch has been taking her spawn out more often in the hopes of finding men. I'm not complaining. Well, I am, due to my aching back, but I'm also grateful for the quiet.

As silly as it sounds, I can't help but think of one of my mother's favorite songs. That sweet nightingale song from Disney's Cinderella. Oh, the irony. The terrible, terrible irony. She sang it all the time and I find myself doing the same as I pick myself up from Lucinda's "lesson" and start on laundry. No reason to give Lucinda another excuse for more "lessons".

As I quietly sing my mother's old tune, I wonder to myself why I haven't just left. Anywhere would be better than this. I mean, I'm almost an adult, I can easily get a job somewhere. So why deal with this crap?

Then I feel my necklace pull on my now bloody shirt and, looking at it, remember why I'm here. The sapphire-and-diamond star pendant was one of the few things of my mother's I was able to hide away and keep it on me at all times. I'm here for my inheritance. And my revenge.

I take a deep breath and get up from where I've been folding clothes, wincing when I stand. I look at my reflection in the mirror on my chest of drawers, at my eyes, my cheeks, my bruises, my pain. I owe it to myself to stick it out. I have gone through too much and kept so little that I have to keep what little I do have. My resolve. And my kindness.

_Be kind._

"I will stay." I whisper firmly. "I'm going nowhere."

_Hiss_

Out of nowhere, Lucifer jumped on the drawers between me and the mirror. And _spoke_. _In English_.

"No, no, NO! You aren't staying here! You won't save the Clans!" The dark cat spits at me, red eyes glowing with what I guess to be rage, hackles drawn, and tail raised.

I stumble back. _What the hell?_

Suddenly, he curves his raised tail. In the crook, a ball of red light appears.

"Even if you won't leave, you won't get the territory!" He screeched. With that, he flicked the ball at me. I threw my arms up to block it though it didn't do any good. Then my vision went black for the next few moments.

3rd Person POV

When Darkstripe threw the ball of light at the two-leg, Firestar yowled, and the trio threw themselves at the dark cat. Within moments, he was overpowered.

"Time for you to go back where you belong!" Graystripe snarled and quickly ended the fight, slitting the evil cat's throat. They watched as the dark cat faded from view then looked back up to two-leg and could only stare.

Her figure was obscured by red light which suddenly turns white. The light shrunk down and faded away. Once their eyes adjusted, they found a light ginger she-cat staring curiously up at them with silvery eyes.

Cindy POV

When my vision returned, I first noticed that I wasn’t looking at the top of the drawers and in the mirror as usual. Instead, I'm looking at the legs of the chest and the space beneath it which looked a lot bigger. Hearing a gasp, I looked up to see three cats on top of the drawers staring at me, one orange, one gray and one black. Lucifer was nowhere to be seen.

"Wh-What?" I stopped as I noticed my voice seemed different somehow. It almost sounded like a _mewl_. My center of gravity also seemed off. Panic rose in my throat as I feel the ground against my hands. But when I look down at them, I _screeched_ because my hands were gone. I only saw yellow paws.

Before I knew what was happening, I jumped, higher than I've ever jumped, and landed on top of the drawers. Ignoring the gaping cats, I stared in the mirror. And I kept staring.

Because looking back at me wasn't me. It was a honey-colored cat with short fur. Its silvery blue eyes were somehow accented by the long white whiskers sprouting out from its cheeks. A tuft of fur on its head flipped over the forehead, reminiscent of my curled bangs. Its long, feathered tail began twitching madly as my panic continued to skyrocket. I raised my right hand to touch the cat. The cat in the mirror raised its paw to touch me.

That's when my vision went black. Again.

* * *

3rd POV

As the newly formed molly began to topple, Firestar lunged forward, catching her by the scruff before she could fall to the ground.

As he heaved her onto the smooth surface, he heard Ravenpaw spluttering behind him.

"Great Starclan! She just turned into a cat! A cat!"

Graystripe sniffed at her then looked back at Firestar, looking bewildered. "Um…Now what?"

Gathering himself, Firestar meowed, "Now we get out of here. Starclan wanted us to look out for her so she comes with us."

Since it didn't look like she would wake up anytime soon, he and Graystripe managed to maneuver her down the from the roof and into the barn, a still disturbed Ravenpaw keeping watch in front.

They settled her in the straw and waited.

Cindy POV

At first, all I could see was blackness. Emptiness. Suddenly, tiny lights began to pop into view. Next thing I knew, I was surrounded by stars.

 **Have courage, young one** _._

I looked around for the voice. As I did, some of the stars in front of me coalesced into a white, glittering cat. His (I guessed he was male since he towered over me) yellow eyes stared down at me and I suddenly felt warm, comfortable like I hadn't since…well since I could't really remember when.

**Have courage Nightingale. And remember yourself.**

Before I can question him, he gently tapped his nose to my chest, above my heart and my world turned black yet again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's a wrap for this chapter. Please leave a review! 
> 
> If you notice differences between this and the version on fanfiction.net., that is because I did some editing so the tense isn't so disorganized.


	5. Who are you?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Here is the newest chapter! In case you haven't noticed, I am not using 1st POV with the cats like I am with Cindy just because the Clan is such a huge cast of characters and so I am trying to show it, for the moment, as "Cats' perspective" vs "Cindy's perspective". This will probably change as the story progresses.
> 
> Also, I am not sure when in canon the Clans learn of Dark Forest so I am just pretending they already know to some extent. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and please review!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Warriors or Cinderella.

3rd POV

As the strange molly rested in the straw behind them, the three friends crouched nearby.

"Since when do two-legs become cats?" Ravenpaw yowled for the tenth time. Barley had joined them at this point and merely looked bewildered

"What I want to know is why _Darkstripe_ there. I mean, that's twice I've killed him now." Graystripe demanded.

"There's obviously a connection between the Dark Forest and this…nightingale." Firestar pondered aloud.

"Nightingale?" Ravenpaw and Graystripe chorused curiously.

"Well, that's what Spottedleaf said, right? She said to protect the nightingale. And the twoleg was talking about a nightingale before Darkstripe came in." Firestar mewed pensively.

At that point, a black and white tom trotted through the door, carrying a mouse in his jaws. Seeing the four cats, he dropped his prey.

"Firestar! Graystripe! Good to see you again. But who is she?" He nodded towards the unconscious molly.

Before he could continue his questions, a glow from the straw grabbed their attention. Quickly surrounding the molly, they watched as a star made of white and blue stones formed, resting on her chest with a string that looked like star light fastening around her neck.

Then, they started she blinked awake.

Cindy POV

I felt…warm. Sore but warm. Much warmer than usual in fact. I groaned as light pierced my opening eyelids and I stretched, somehow missing how weird the movement felt. As my vision cleared, I noticed the three cats from earlier huddled together around me. It almost looked like they were watching me which struck me as very funny. What an odd dream I was having.

As I stood, a sharp pain suddenly erupted from my left forepaw. Looking down, I saw that I had stepped on a bit of wire sticking out from the spool of it next to me.

Then I froze. Between my- _oh my god_ \- my _paw_ and my sore back, I felt pain. Which meant this wasn't a dream. Which meant-

I looked down at myself. Then screeched. And may have started flailing around, trying to get a better look.

"Holy shi-!" Before I could continue to freak out, a weight suddenly pressed down on my back, forcing me to lie down on my stomach.

"Easy, easy. Don't hurt yourself more now." A gentle voice commanded. I look up to see the gray cat had put his paw between my shoulder blades to gently press me down while the orange one crouches in front of me as he spoke.

"That's right, deep breaths. Just take deep breaths." The black cat chirped behind his orange friend.

Taking their advice, I did my best to calm down. After I was (mostly) done hyperventilating, I demanded, "What the _hell_ is going on? Who are you?"

The trio exchanged glances that I can't interpret and the black one stepped forward. "You might remember me from earlier as I live here with Barley. My name is Ravenpaw." He mewed, still clearly nervous.

Before I could respond, the gray cat removed his paw from my back. "I'm Graystripe." He meowed gruffly. "It was a lot of fun lifting you down here, by the way." He chuckled then hissed as Ravenpaw cuffed him.

_OK…?_

"And I'm Firestar, leader of Thunderclan." The orange tom captured my attention. His gaze, unlike the other two, is relatively calm and, well, calming at the same time.

_Thunder- what now?_

"I know this is a huge shock." He said slowly, like he's afraid that I'll bolt if he talked too quickly. "But who are you? What can you tell us about Darkstripe?"

_Who is Darkstripe?_

At my questioning look, he clarified. "The dark cat who did this to you."

Oh, he meant Lucifer.

"Lucifer? He is my step-mom's cat." I mewed, then felt sheepish at referring to a cat as a human possession to other cats. To my surprise, the gray cat, Graystripe, snickered.

"To think Darkstripe became a kittypet…" He chuckled.

"What's that around your neck?" Asks Ravenpaw. Looking down, I saw that, even though my clothes disappeared with my- dear God- my transformation, my mother's pendant remained.

That's when I remembered the white cat from my dream. "The white cat…" I trailed off.

"Who?" Firestar questioned, his green eyes intense.

But I was done answering their questions. I mean, I just lost my species! I think I was owed some answers myself.

"Now, wait a minute. What the hell is going on? Why am I a cat? Why would Lucifer-Darkstripe-whatever the hell his name is- do this?" I sprung up, then staggered as I forgot that I now had four legs, not two.

Ravenpaw came up on one side, Graystripe on the other, steadied me. Firestar fixed me with his calm gaze again.

"Honestly, we don't know. All we know is that Darkstripe- an old enemy- did this to you. Why or how, we don't know." Somehow, I trusted him. Any suspicion that he may have been in cahoots with the demon Dickstripe vanished at his sincere look. It was the sort of look my dad would give me when he helped me work through problems.

"Do you know how I can change back?" From their expressions, I know the answer but hey I have to ask.

"No. But I know who we can ask." But Firestar and the other cats started to look blurry to me. Feeling weak, I sank to the ground. Graystripe yelped, "Firestar, her back!"

Glancing back, I saw that my wheals from earlier were bleeding. They must have re-opened when I got up.

"Barley!" Ravenpaw called out. A black and white cat came forward from the hay bales. This tom meowed, "Sorry, Ravenpaw but we're out of herbs. I've got some cobwebs but that's about it."

"We'll have to take her back to camp then. Those look serious." Firestar decided as my vision faded for the fourth and hopefully final time.

* * *

When I next awoke, I was surrounded not by hay bales but by what looked like rock walls.

_Huh, where am I?_

I started to get to my feet but stumbled. Oh crap, I was still a cat. This still wasn't a dream. But I was too tired to bother freaking out again.

"Are you alright?" I whipped my head around at the soft, female voice behind me. A light brown tabby with amber eyes was looking at me, seeming torn between concern and wariness. Due to my new range of movement, I noticed my back seemed to be covered not just by fur but also by what looked like cobwebs and poultices.

"Where am I?" I accidentally ignored her previous question, too busy trying to figure out what in the name of everything pure and holy was going on.

"You're in the medicine den of the Thunderclan camp." She answered promptly. Seeing my blank expression, she continued, "Firestar and Graystripe brought you here. They should be back any time now with Cinderpelt, my mentor."

"Um, ok."

She adopted a more business-like manner. "Now, we've stopped the bleeding and cleared any infection. However, you will have scars and you need to take it easy for the next few days."

"…Thank you." I murmured quietly. I wasn’t worried about scars as I have plenty of them and they are just a reminder of everything I was working for. Well, had been working for. Distracting myself from darker thoughts, I mewed, "I'm Cindy, by the way. Who are you?"

"My name is Leafpool. I am one of the medicine cats of Thunderclan." She hesitated, then "Firestar is my father."

Oh. Well, she certainly inherited her dad's calm gaze. She giggled. "Thank you." And I realized I must have said it out loud.

I sighed and settled down to wait for Firestar to come back.


End file.
